About Rape and Revenge films

OK, Ladies and Gentlemen, you may see that I added a new category of movies calling “Rape and Revenge films”. I was thinking to create a new domain for these films, but because there is not to much movies of this genre, I decided to create only the category. Of course I will continue publishing WIP movies too, plus I will add some new categories of interesting genres in the future.

And now let’s see what Wikipedia tells us about this genre:

“Rape and revenge films (rape/revenge) are a subgenre of exploitation film that was particularly popular in the 1970s. Rape/revenge movies generally follow the same three act structure:

* Act I: A woman is raped/gang raped, tortured, and left for dead. * Act II: The woman survives and rehabilitates herself. * Act III: The woman takes revenge and kills all of her rapists.

In some cases, the woman is killed at the end of the first act, and the “revenge” is carried out by her family, as in The Last House on the Left.

Notable rape/revenge movies include The Virgin Spring, I Spit On Your Grave, Lipstick, Thriller – A Cruel Picture, Death Wish, Straw Dogs, Ms. 45, Sudden Impact, Baise-moi, ¡Dispara!, Coward of the County, Irréversible, Thelma & Louise, and Extremities. The Virgin Spring, sharing a common source material as The Last House on the Left, is particularly notable as being arguably the first in the genre as well as being directed by Ingmar Bergman.

As of the 2000s, the genre has made a comeback. Rogue Pictures finalized a deal in 2006 to remake The Last House on the Left. Wes Craven (writer and producer of the original film) stood as a producer of the remake, starring Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter. The film (released in 2009) received a “B” rating from audiences but mixed reviews from critics. However, it grossed $5.6 million in its opening weekend and taking the top spot from Watchmen. Garret Dillahunt’s performance is praised but the rape sequence is criticized as being too realistic to handle. Run! Bitch Run! is a throw back to the classic 1970’s rape and revenge films like Last House on the Left and Ms. 45. The 2009 film takes place in the late 1970’s, when the lack of modern technology made the world a more vulnerable place. In 2010, the controversial film I Spit on Your Grave was remade starring Sarah Butler and Chad Lindberg. CineTel Films acquired rights and released it on Halloween, worldwide.

Notably, in Gaspar Noé’s 2002 film Irréversible, the structure was reversed, with the first act depicting the revenge before tracing back the events which led to that point. Roger Ebert argues that by using this structure, as well as a false revenge, Irréversible cannot be classified as an exploitation film, as no exploitation of the subject matter takes place.[1]